Ablaze in Lewes Harbor:
The Last Cruise of the SS Lenape

by Bob Kotowski

On November 17, 1925, the passenger-cargo steamship SS Lenape left its berth in New York City for what nearly everyone on board expected would be just another routine trip to Jacksonville, Florida. But, a 30-year-old New England woman traveling with her 10-year-old, eight-year-old and three-month old sons had an uneasy feeling.

She was right. Late at night, off the coast of New Jersey, fire broke out in the cargo hold. As it worsened, the Clyde Lines steamer was forced to make a harrowing dash across the mouth of the Delaware Bay for Lewes, Delaware, where it ended up aground and ablaze.

Through the valiant efforts of the captain and crew, Delaware Bay and River pilots, and the residents of Lewes, only one life was lost from among the more than 300 passengers and nearly 100 crew.

Ablaze in Lewes Harbor: the last cruise of the SS Lenape weaves the historical details of that fateful night with the recollections and perspective of that young woman and her sons, reflected in personal journals and interviews.

2007, soft cover, 6"x9"
ISBN 978-1-892142-34-4

• $9.95
•    add to cart